Glasgow Warriors head coach Dave Rennie said: “Connacht are going to bring over a pretty well-oiled team with a lot of experience.

“They’ve been going really well and because of how tight the comp is this is a big game for both sides.

“They play a pretty good brand of footy and we know they’re going to ask a lot of questions of us, so we’re going to have to be a lot better this week than we were against Cardiff.”

Connacht head coach Andy Friend said: “It is extremely tight in our conference with only a few points separating four or five teams, so every game takes on an even greater importance now.

“We have picked a side with a good blend of youth and experience and I have full confidence in them to get a result on Friday night.

“The real positive this week is to see Kieran Marmion back and raring to go after a period of injury. He has worked really hard over the past few months to regain his fitness and he is looking forward to his 150th appearance in a Connacht jersey.

“It’s a significant milestone and something to be proud of for him and his family.”

Key battle – George Horne v Kieran Marmion

With his brother away with Scotland for the resumption of the Guinness Six Nations, George Horne will be looking to play a key role in commanding the Warriors attack in his absence.

The 23-year-old has been out of action for a month and will need to hit the ground running against his opposite number, with Marmion’s return a huge boost for Connacht.

Both players will be key to how their side plays and with Marmion also on the comeback trail – it will be his first start since November – it is sure to be a fascinating tussle at scrum-half.

⚔️🛡️ Here is your Glasgow Warriors team to play @connachtrugby in the Guinness PRO14 at Scotstoun Stadium tomorrow night, brought to you by @MackenzieConstr.

Match Page 2017-18 - Timeline WP:139

Match Page 2017-18 - Match Data WP: 140

Match Page 2017-18 - Live - Lineups Team B

Horne scores within seconds as Glasgow beat Connacht

George Horne took less than a minute to score Glasgow Warriors’ first try as they ran out 43-17 winners over Connacht in the Guinness PRO14 on Friday night.

Dave Rennie’s side went on to score six tries in total as they moved back to within a point of Conference A leaders Munster.

Robbie Nairn and Grant Stewart also both bagged doubles in the win while the visitors did manage three scores of their own through Stephen Fitzgerald, Paul Boyle and Tom Daly.

Horne opened the scoring with 45 seconds on the clock after some great work by Kyle Steyn to dance through the onrushing defenders and find Horne on his inside who finished the job. Brandon Thomson added the extra two from a tight angle.

And with 15 minutes on the clock Thomson extended the Glasgow lead to 10 points with another accurate kick at goal.

Connacht got themselves into the game and on the scoresheet via a Stephen Fitzgerald try after he benefitted from a bouncing ball. His brother Conor pulled the resultung conversion attempt wide.

On the half-hour mark Tim Swinson restored Glasgow’s double figure advantage when he wriggled over the whitewash from two metres out.

And Glasgow made it three first-half tries through Stewart after a catch and drive came down over the Connacht try line.

To make matters worse for the Irishmen, James Cannon received ten minutes in the sin bin for bringing the maul down and Thomson nailed the conversion to make it four from four from the tee.

Connacht had the chance to pull three points back just before the half time whistle but Conor Fitzgerald, on his first ever start for the club, pushed it wide to make it three misses on the trot.

After the break it didn’t take long for Glasgow to secure the bonus point after Stewart pulled off the back of a maul and charged over the line from ten metres out for his second try of the match.

With just over an hour played Connacht dug deep and secured their second try of the night when Boyle buried his way over. The missed conversion from Kyle Godwin meant that Connacht still trailed by more than 20 points however.

With the final ten minutes approaching the two sides exchanged further tries with Glasgow dotting down first through Robbie Nairn and Connacht responded almost instantly as Daly got another one back.

Connacht supporters will have been pleased to see Godwin land their first points from the tee but their joy was cut short when Nairn went down the other end to grab his second of the night leaving Connacht with two much to do with too little time remaining.